Excavating-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. C. BLIGKBNSDERPER.

BXCAVATING MACHINE.

No. 332,042. Patented Deo. 8, 1885.

N. PETEHS. Phomuumgnphnr. waxhingwn, DA C.

(No Model.) x 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3.

` G. C. BLICKENSDERFER.

EXQAVATING MACHINE. No. 882,042. 1 ,Patented Deo, 8, 1885.

NA PETERS. Plolvlithagraplmr, Wnhnglors D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' G. C. BLICKENSDQERFER.

EXGAVATING MACHINE.

No. 332,042. Patented Dee. 8, 1885.

I UNrrnn rnl'rns i y GEORGE C. BLICKENSDERFER, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

EXCAVATING-VI-ACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming pari: of Letters Patent No. 332,042,dated December8, 1885.

Application filed July 25, 1884. Serial No. 138,783.

(No model.)

' DERFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in thecounty of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Excavating-Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled 'in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates te improvements in excavating-machines in whichaseries of buckets or scoops are connected together and operated in themanner of an endless-belt conveyer; and the objects of my invention are,first, to provide a bucket or scoop which shall have one of its sidesand its bottom remova-l ble from it, so as to insure a perfect clearanceof earth from it at the dumping; second, to provide, in conjunction withsuch a bucket orY scoop, a chute for receiving the dumpings, which actsas a wiper or cleaner for the bucket and clears it entirely of anyadhering earth; third, a gage for regulating the grade of theexcavation; and, fourth, to provide sundry minor improvements in theconstruction, which will fully be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention as illustra-ted in the accompanying drawings is adapted,principally, to

excavating ditches-such, for instance, as are made for layingdrain-pipes-and is shown mounted on wheels; but the same device lmountedon a boat or raft will serve equally well for dredging under the water,or,if mounted on proper ways, it may also be used for general excavatingwork.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the device, as follows: Figure I isaside elevation of most of the working parts, the frame being inlongitudinal vertical section on the line was in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 isafront elevation, the frame being in transverse vertical section. Fig. 3is a plan or top View, with the top scoops or buckets-removed, so as toshow parts below them. Fig. 4 is a cross-horizontal section on the liney y in Fig. 1, looking down and only showing a part of the:frame-work.Figs. 5 to 14, inclusive, show details of construetion,and will bereferred to and explained as required hereinafter.

The construction and operation of the machine are as follows:

A supporting frame-work, A A, Sie., is mounted on wheels B B, &c., and aleg-beam, F, is mounted in this frame-work, so as to slide in guides ffvertically. The leg-beam is provided with sprocket-wheels G G at eachend, and it has a rack, D2, on one side, by which it is raised andlowered by a wormwheel, D', on a short upright shaft, D, in the centerof the frame-work. A large internallytoothed gear, C. which has no hubor spokes, is mounted horizontally in sheaves e', which are hung inbrackets a, secured to the frame. This gear is provided with a lever, I.to which a horse will be attached and made to travel around the machine.An upright shaft, C, is mounted near one Side of the frame-work, withinthe gear C, and geared to be operated from it by the pinion C. Abracket, F, on the upper end ofthe leg F,supports the sprocket-wheel G,its shaft C5, and its operating gearing, the beveled pinions G3 C". Thepinion C is feathered upon the shaft C`-I and can slide up and down uponit,and the bracket F* also embraces and slides upon the said shaft C. Inthis manner motion is communicated from the gear O to the sprocket G atany point of elevation of the leg F.

The worm-wheel shaft l) (seen in dotted lines in Fig. 2) is operatedfrom the shaft C as follows A counter-shaft, E, is operated from theshaft C2 by the gears c e, and by the sprocket-wheels c and d and thechain d the shaft D is revolved in a direction opposite to the shaft G2,and I so proportion the gearing that the shaft D will revolve slowerthan G2. On the shaft CZ is a sprocket-wheel, c', and a chain, cl2,connects it with a sprocket-wheel,

d', on the shaft D. By this gearing the shaft D can be revolved in thesame direction as the shaft O2, and I make the gearings of such a sizethat the shaft D will revolve faster than the shaft C. The purpose ofthus changing the speed is that the leg may be elevated with safety at arapid speed, while it should go down slowly. rIhe gear c and thesprocket-wheel c on the shaft C2 are provided each with one of the partsof a ratchet-clutch, and are mounted loosely on the shaft by an annulargroove and set-screw, for instance, and a shifting collar,

IOl

c, feathered on the shaft C, can be thrown so as to bring either of theparts c or c into action by moving a shifting-lever, c4, which extendsto the operator-s stand, and by it the operator can raise or lower' theleg at any time during the operation of the machine.

, The means for regulating or gaging the grade of the excavation are asfollows: One arm, F, extends back fronrthe leg F at a point near itstop. In the end of this arm is an opening or slot, f2, through whichpasses a gage-staff, F2, which has a foot with a roller in the bottom ofthe ditch. The staff is free to slide up and down in the opening f2, andis loosely guided and held by a guide, f3, on the framework. On thegage-staff at the point where it passes through the opening f2 in thearm Fthereisa scale laid out. If the front wheels run over a hillock,and thus lift the leg up so that the scoops will be lifted above theproper grade, the arm F2 will be pushed down along the scale, and if thewheels run into a depression the reverse action will take place, and theoperator will raise or lower the leg, as the case requires, 'until thescale shows the grade desired. A

4 The means for propelling the machine consists of a winch, WV, on theshaft C2, and a rope, R, which will he fastened ahead to a stake in theline of the progress.

The construction and operation of the scoops or buckets are as follows:

H I-I, &c., are the scoops, one of which is shown in perspective in Fig.7. They are formed preferably of one piece of sheetmetal, bent into theform shown. They have no back or ends. They are connected together bylinks L h, which are pivoted to them, and when thus connected form anendless belt or chain, which runs over the sprocket-wheels G G. A secondendless belt or sprocketchain, formed ofthe wide flat links I I, &c., isalso adjusted on these saine sprocket-wheels G G. The arrangement issuch that 'every alternate link I forms the back of a bucket orscoop. ASection of this chain is shown'in perspective in Fig. 5. In everyalternate j oint of this chain there is also pivoted a bracket or shelf,I,which is of the proper size and shape to form a bottom for the scoops.Figs. 5 and 12 show the form and adjustment of these shelves. They areprovided with weighted arms Qwhich swing in openingsz'2 in thechainlinks, I. The arrangement is such that on the part of the chainwhich is passing down the weighted arms hold the shelves up against theface of the links. (See Fig. 1.)

The sprockets-wheels G G are shown in detail fully in Figs. 8, 9, 10,and 1l, Fig. 8 being a side view of the sprocket G, and Fig. 9 a frontview, and Fig. 10 a side view of the lower sprocket, G', and Fig. 11 afront view. These wheels are hexagonal in form and are provided withfaces for receiving both the vchain formed of the scoops H and links hand the chain formed of the links I. The former rest upon the faces ggin the sprocket-wheel G, and g" g in the wheel G', while the links Irest upon the faces g in wheel G, 4and g5 in thewheel G. The faces g onthe wheel G are lprovided with sprockets g3, which enter the holes i inthe links I, and the face gin the same wheel have sprockets g2, whichcatch under the ends of the links h. (See Fig. 1.) In this manner the`two chains are moved simultaneously. The wheel G on the lower end of theleg F has on its face g5 lugs g4, which are so placed as to strike thearms i of the pivoted shelves I, and turn the shelves so that they willenter and iill the bottoms of the scoops.

(See Fig. 1.) The wheel G also has the same lugs, g, for keeping thebottoms I in place while they are passing around th at wheel.v As thebuckets pass up from the wheel G, their back edges and the links h slidei n rabbeted ways h2 on the leg-beam F, and the links I lie dat upon theface I2 of that beam.

manner the parts of the buckets are place while they are passing up.When the buckets have passed over the wheel Fig. 1,) and are" ready todump, directly above a chute, J, into which their contents will fall.The upper end or nose of this chute is so arranged that it will passdirectly through the shells of the buckets from end to end.

In this The chain', which forms the backs and bottoms of the scoops,separates from the chain carrying the shells immediately as they leavethe wheel G. The separation of these two chains is effected by a doubleslieave, K,which is supported on arms K', the beam F. This sheaveparts-one, 7c', will receive the chain formed of the links I, andtheother, 7c lc, the one formed of the buckets Hand links h. Thisseparation of the two chains takes the backs and is divided into two IOOwhich extend from bottoms out of the buckets above the chute J I andleaves the shcllsot' the buckets free for the passage of the nose ot'the chute through them. The passing of the nose of the chute IIO throughthe shells wipes them clean of all adhering particles of earth, the nosebein such a form as to iit the sides of the shells. (See Fig. 3.)

Figs. 13 and 14 are respectively perspective and section views ofcutters or scrapers h', which are attached to the links h just in frontof each scoop or bucket, (see Fig. 1,) and serve to relieve the bucketsof the work of digging or cutting the earth with which they are to befilled. The use of these is not the buckets may as to do this work; butas the cutters are liable to be nieked or broken it is much easier toreplace or repair them when separate from the bu ket than whe attachedthereto. to se them aboulzl s shown.

1. In an excavating-machine, a scoop `or bucket having its back andbottom separable essential, vfor l have eutting-edges on top so I preferfrom its front-and side walls, substantially 4as scoops or buckets areoperated in the manner of an endless-belt conveyer, the combination of aconveyer-chain which carries the backis and bottoms of the buckets witha secon chain which carries a series of shells which form the remainingsides of the buckets, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an excavating-machine, the combination, substantially as shown, ofthe following elements: aleg-beam, sprocket-wheels at each end of saidleg-beam, having faces for two separate conveycr chains, and twoconveyerchains running on said sprocket-wheels, one of which carriesshells which forni the front and side walls of the buckets or scoops,and the other the bottoms and back walls of the buckets or scoops.

4. In an excavating-machine, the combination, substantially as setforth, of `the following elements: a supporting frame-Work, alegbeamguided in said frame-Work and movable vertically, sprocket-wheels ateach end of said leg-beam, having means, as described, for earrying twoseparate conveyer-chaius, the arm K, and double sheave K, connected withsaid leg-beam, the conveyer-chain formed of the shells H, and links hpassing-,over said sprocket-wheels and outwardly over the sheave K, theconveyer-chain formed of the links I, and having the shelves Ipivotedthereon, passing over said sprocket-wheels and inwardly over the sheaveK, and lnally the chute J, adjusted, as described, above the shea-Ve Kand in position to have its nose pass through the shells H as theydescend.

5. In an excavating-machinefthe'combination, substantially as set forth,of the following elements: a supporting-frame, a drivinggear consistingof the internally-toothed rotating rim C, and a scoop-conveyer and itsoperating mechanism, arranged, substantially as set forth, within andvertically adjustable through said driving-gear on the line of its axis.

6. In an excavating-machine, the combination, as described, of thedrivegear C, the upright shaft O2, arranged within and operated i'romthe drive-gear C, a vertically-adjustablescoop-couveyerarrangedlwithinlsaid gear C, and operated from gearing,substantially as described, on said shaft C", and vertically adjustablethrough said driving-gear C on the line of its axis.

7. In an excavatingniachiue, the combination, substantially as hereinset forth, of a vertically-adjustable scoop-conveyer, an arm extendingback from the leg-beam of said conveyer, and a gage-staff slidingloosely in an opening at the end of said arm, and having a foot trailingon the bottom of the excavation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

GEO. C. BLICKENSDERFER.

Witnesses:

JNO. K. HALLocK, Ronr. H. PORTER.

